Machine for continuous dry powdering or curing seeds and grain



Jan? 1947- E. H. JULIANO- f 2,413,976

MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUS DRY POWDERING 0R CURING SEEDS AND GRAIN FiledNov. 18, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheetl #2 zgzzzzb M Jan. 7, 1947.

E. H. JULIANO MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUS DRY POWDERING 0R CURING SEEDS ANDGRAIN Filed NOV. 18, 1943 2 SheetsSheet 2 uemto'u W .m m

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Patented Jan. 7, 1947 MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUS DRY POWDER- ING OR CURINGSEEDS AND GRAIN Egidio Hipolit o J uliano, Nccochea, ArgentinaApplication November 18, 1943, Serial No. 510,824 In Argentina July 16,1943 4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to machines for continuously curing seeds andgrain, and particularly to a machine for dry-curing or powdering seedsand grain.

Different types of machines have been known and used heretofore forcuring cereals, but in general they are based on the mixing system whichis slow since it involves the use of drums and trays with intermittentcharging, thus rendering the operation rather complicated.

The ideal would no doubt be a machine with a simple mechanism, capableof enabling a constant charge and discharge without requiringaccumulating boxes, and this is precisely what is achieved by means ofthe present invention, which covers a simple assembly wherein the onlymovable element which is considered essential is an endless belt locatedin a somewhat inclined plane and receiving the powder by contact from acontainer, so as to place same in contact with the grain which is causedto slide down in counter-current. The assembly also comprises defleetingmeans so that the treated grain will be directed straight to a dischargewhere it may be received in sacks or otherwise disposed of.

For this purpose, the machine comprises an oblique passage, the bottomof which is constituted by said endless belt, which is related with thecuring powder container, and apart from comprising courses in zigzag ordeflecting elements so as to provide a longer path for the grainintroduced through a hopper, said passage includes a final deflectingmember by means of which the grain is deflected from the treating zoneso that, after passing through a screen where it will lose the excesspowder adhered thereto, said grain will follow a sloping path or beelevated by an endless conveyor to a discharge for bagging or otherpurposes.

Apart from the above, the invention contemplates other objects, amongstwhich may be mentioned the possibility of obtaining a large workingcapacity with a small and simple assembly which may be readily coupleddirectly to a seed cleaning machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a quick treating servicewhich will treat the grain in a manner so as to place same directly insacks,

without the necessity of stationing and also without any danger to theoperator, since both the curing or treating chamber and the conveyor areperfectly shielded up to the discharge mouth toil; which the sack isapplied.

A further object of the invention is to provide means enabling'the freeoperation without the" necessity of dosing the treating powder, as anyexcess powder will be removed by the abovementioned screen.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe course of the following description when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings illustrating the inventionby way of exampleand in a preferred embodiment.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the machine partially in section so asto show the treating chamber or passage;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same machine, taken along the line Z-Zof Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional side view of the machine, taken along the line X-Xof Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a further sectional side View of the machine, taken along theline YY of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of the same machine, taken along theline V-V of Fig. 1.

The same reference characters are used to indicate like or correspondingparts or elements throughout the drawings.

Referring now to Fig. 1, it may be seen that the new machine for curinggrains, seeds and cereals in general comprises a treating passage asubstantially inclined, the bottom of which is constituted by theworking portion I of an endless band b guided on two rollers 2 and 2'.The lower end of said endless belt I) enters a container 3 containing atreating powder 4, the working portion l of said endless belt 11 bearingon a sliding bed 5 so as to avoid the fluctuation or vibration of saidbelt during the operation of the machine.

The upper portion of said treating passage a comprises a hopper 6 therear wall I of which is located substantially in a plane parallel to theinclined plane of the working portion l of said endless belt b, thelower portion of said rear wall I being provided with a scraping blade 8the sharpedge of which engages the surface of said belt I).

As shown in Fig. 3, the cover 9 of said treating passage (1 comprises aplurality of deflecting par-' titions l0 fixed to said cover 9 andextendingtowards the surface of the endless belt b without contactingthe latterr Said treating passage a terminates with the deflecting planeII, the edge ll of which bears against the surface of the endless beltI), said deflecting plane or element being provided with a screen [2 andconstituting, in combination with an extension 9' of said cover 9, adeflecting conduit c ending in a container I3 having a plane inclinedtowards a bagging chute or combined with an endless conveyor One of saidrollers 2 of the endless belt I) is coupled to a power source androtates in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 3, so that theworking portion I of said belt b constituting the bottom or track ofsaid treating passage (1, will effect a continuous upward motion,carrying on the surface thereof a quantity of sterilizing powder 4, theexcess of which will be removed by the scraper I! located between thecontainer 3 and the deflecting element II of the machine.

Simultaneously, the grains I5 of the cereal I5 contained in the feedinghopper 6 will fall by gravity into the treating passage a and will rollon the surface of the working portion I of said endless belt b, therebybecoming intimately mixed with the sterilizing powder adhered to saidbelt, and inasmuch as the deflecting partitions In fixed to the cover 9of said passage will extend the downward course of the grains I5 ofcereal I 5 through said passage, upon reaching the surface of thedeflecting element II of said chamber, said grain will become fullypowdered, as required in this kind of treatment.

Upon the grains of cereal I5 passing through screen !2, any excess ofpowder 4 adhered thereto will fall through the orifices-in said screeninto the deposit 3, thereby recovering said powder 4 which is returnedfrom said deposit 3 to the treating passage a, as explainedhereinbefore, while the treated or cured grains follow by the deflectingor branch conduit 0 towards the container I3 which, as stated above, mayhave a direct discharge or may be elevated by means of a conveyor d.

It will therefore be seen that the charging of untreated cereal and thetreatment thereof with sterilizing powder 4 in the treating passage a,as avell as the discharge of the treated cereal from the container i3,is carried out in a continuous manner, without any interruptions in theoperation of the machine, which will in high economic yield.

Also. the necessity of closing the sterilizing powder 4 has beenentirely eliminated in the improved machine of the present invention,since the surface of the working portion I of the endless belt b willalways carry adhered thereto an amount of powder 4 sufficient to obtaina complete treatment of cereal t5, the excess powder adhered to thegrains 55' of the cereal being removed during the passage thereof overthe screen I2 of the 1 machine.

As shown in Fig. 1, the seed treating machine forms a general boxsupported by frame I8 in inclined position.

Said box is provided with a complementary portion I l having a partitionI9 by means of which it is separated from the remainder of the boxcarrying the endless belt b and other main elements of the machine.

Located within said complementary-portion I4 is an elevating conveyor 01mounted between rollers 2i! and 2E, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, bothrollers and 2! are fixed to the shafts of rollers 2' and 2,respectively, of endless belt b, so that said conveyor will move insynchronism with said endless belt b.

Said roller 28 is located at the bottom of said complementary portion I4 and arranged so that the buckets 22 of said conveyor will collect thegrains or seeds from the container 23, which is naturally result 4combined with container I3 from which it receives the grains by means ofthe inclined plane 2%. Said conveyor d is provided with a dischargechute 25 to which the sacks I5 are applied for the purpose of collectingthe treated grains.

The deflecting partitions are secured to the cover 9 by means ofthreaded supports 26 acting as screws and allowing the regulation of theposition thereof within the treating passage a.

Certain grains might adhere to the endless belt b during its upwardcourse, and to take care of this event, a further scraper blade 2'! isprovided following the scraping blade 8, and a return device 28 islocated between said blades 8 and 21, said device 28 comprising atriangular prism allowing the passage of the grains through the lowerportion thereof, but so arranged that the grains retained by thescraping blade 27 are forced to pass on to the surface 28 so as to slideby gravity and return to the treating passage a.

The screen i2 may be fixed or, in certain cases, it may be mounted in anoscillating manner and provided with a bracket 29 connected to aneccentric 36, as shown in Fig. 5. Said eccentric may be fixed to shaft3| of the lower rollers 2 and 20 of the belt 12 and conveyor 11,respectively. The movement of the screen I 2, caused by eccentric 30against the bracket 29 will be sufficient to remove any excess powdercarried by the grains reaching said screen after being treated in thefeeding passage a, particularly when operating in damp atinospheres.

Shaft 32 of the upper rollers 2 and 2I, respectively, is provided with apulley 33 adapted to receive a belt deriving from a motor (not shown).The same shaft 32 terminates in a crank 34 for manual operation whenmotive force is not available.

Summarizing, the machine operates in the following nianner: Thecontainer 3 is charged with treating powder 4, and a hopper 6 is chargedwith grains I5 which will pass to the treating passage a through a gate35.

Upon setting the endless belt b in motion, said powder 4 will adhere tosaid band and form a layer on the surface thereof, the thickness ofwhich is controlled by scraper I'I. Upon the grains rolling downwardlyin a zig-zag path provided by a deflecting partition I 0, they arecaused to come in intimate contact with said powder. Upon reaching thescreen I2, said grains will have any excess powder removed therefrom,and said excess powder will fall into container 3 and thus be recovered,while the grains will be directed towards the container I3 from whichthey may be discharged directly.

If the conveyor d is set in motion the treated grains will pass fromcontainer I3 over the inclined plane 24 and into the container 23, wherethey will be taken by the buckets 22 of said conveyor and elevated tothe upper portion thereof, from which they will be discharged throughthe chute 25, into a sack or disposed of in any other manner. 1

It is evident that in carrying the invention into practice, severalmodifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art,without departing from the scope of the invention as clearly set forthin the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for continuously dry-treating or powdering seeds andgrains, a steeply inclined upstanding passageway, a correspondinglyinclined endless belt with its operatively active flight uppermost andtravelling upwardly lengthwise of the passageway, said belt being of acharpowder back to the said receptacle for re-appliacter to receive andcarry on its upper surface a cation to thebelt, a correspondinglyinclined concoating of a characteristic treating powder, veyorpassageway at the side of and paralleling means for delivering at anupper position the masaid first-mentioned upstanding passageway, theterial to be treated to the operatively active flight same having adischarge outlet at its upper end, of the belt, the so deliveredmaterial gravitating means at the lower ends of said first-mentioneddownwardly on the upwardly travelling flight of passageway and saidconveyor passageway for the belt and in collecting contact with thecoating transferring the deflected treated material to said of treatingmaterial carried on the belt, a treating conveyor passageway, a conveyorelement in said powder receptacle located laterally and cooperconveyorpassageway for elevating thereceived atively adjacent the loweroperatively active uptreated material and delivering the same throughwardly travelling flight portion of the belt for the discharge outlet,and common driving means supplying thereto the treating powder duringthe for said treating powder carrier belt and for said travel of thebelt, and perforate means overlying treated material conveyor, wherebysaid belt said receptacle for deflecting the treated mate- 5 andconveyor are positively operated simultanerial from the lower portion ofthe belt, separating ously and in cooperative synchronism. excesstreating powder from the treated mate- 3. A seed and grain treatingmachine strucrial and delivering the separated treating powder ture asset forth in claim 2, wherein the upper back to the said receptacle forreapplication to edge portion of the perforate treated material thebelt. deflector and excess treating powder separator 2. In a machine forcontinuously dry-treating means is located cooperatively adjacent theupor powdering seeds and grains, a steeply inclined wardly travellingoperatively active flight of the upstanding passageway of substantialworking said endless treating powder carrier belt so as width anddivided longitudinally into a separate to define the lower terminal ofthe material treatelongated treating chamber proper and a parallel ingchamber proper and at the same time deteridling chamber, acorrespondingly inclined endmine the definite original thickness oftreatin less belt of correspondingly ample width and with powder coatingon the operatively active flight its operatively active flight uppermostand travelof the belt, a scraper element disposed cooperling upwardlylengthwise of the treating chamatively between the perforate deflectorand sepaber and downwardly and returnably in the idling rator means andthe adjacent underlying portion chamber, said belt being of a characterto receive of the belt to prevent excess application of treatand carryon its upper surface a coating of a charing powder coating on the belt,and a lower wall acteristic treating powder, an upper-located portion ofthe feeder hopper extended and disfeeder hopper for containing anddelivering the posed in scraper relation to the upper portion ofmaterial to be treated to the operatively active the operatively activeflight of the belt. flight portion of the belt, the so delivered mate-4. A seed and grain treating machine structure rial gravitatingdownwardly on the upwardly as set forth in claim 2, wherein the materialtravelling flight of the belt and in collecting contreating chamberproper has a cover throughout tact with the coating of treating powdercarried the working extent thereof and the cover is proon the belt, atreating powder receptacle located 49 vided with a staggered series ofinclined baffles cooperatively adjacent the lower operatively anddeflectors on the inner face thereof with the active upwardly travellingflight portion of the free edges of said bafiies and deflectors spaced abelt for supplying thereto the treating powder slight distance from thebelt so that the bafiles during the travel of the belt, perforate meansand deflectors collectively and associatedly form overlying saidreceptacle for deflecting the treattortuous passageways for the treatedmaterial in ed material from the lower portion of the belt, its travelthrough the treating chamber in conseparating excess treating powderfrom the treattact with the coating on the powder carrier belt.

ed material and delivering the separated treating EGIDIO mPOLITO J ULIANO.

